1874.] LARKS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA. 631 



Genus 9. Spizocorys. Type. 



Spizocorys, Sundev. A v. Tent. p. 55 (1873) .... S. conirostris. 



Remarkable for its minute first primary, which escaped the 

 observation of Professor Sundevall. Wings very much rounded, the 

 primaries and secondaries nearly equal. 



10. Spizocorys conirostris. 



Alauda conirostris, Sundev. (Efv. K. Vet. Akad. Forh. Stockh. 

 1850, p. 99 ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 244 (1850) ; Gray, Handl. B. ii. p. 1 18 

 (1870) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 72 (1871) ; Gurnev, in Anderss. B. 

 Dam. Ld. p. 192 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 103, pi. iii. fig. 1. 



Coraphites conirostris, Licht. Nomencl. Av. p. 39 (1854). 



Calandrelia, sp., Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. i. p. 152 (1867). 



Calandrit is minor, Bocage, op. cit. ii. p. 351 (1869). 



Spizocorys conirostris, Sundev. Av. Tent. p. 55 (1873). 



Adult female (one of the typical specimens). Above fulvous 

 brown, the feathers of the head and back blackish down their 

 centres, which are very broad, the margins being sandy, more or less 

 inclining to deeper rufous ; all the plumes of the hind neck, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts, as well as a few of the dorsal feathers, 

 broadly margined with greyish, producing a distinct ashy appear- 

 ance ; wing-coverts brown, broadly margined with sandy buff, the 

 lesser and median series so broadly as nearly to obscure the dark 

 brown centres to the feathers, the greater coverts with a slight 

 greyish shade on their outer margins ; quills lighter brown, witli a 

 slight ashy shade, the feathers margined with sandy buff, paling on 

 the extreme edge of the feather, the outer edge of the first primary 

 sandy white for nearly the entire length of the quill ; tail blackish, 

 tipped with dull white, with ashy fulvous margins, broader on the 

 centre feathers, which are paler and nearly uniform brown, the two 

 outer feathers margined with sandy buff, occupying part of the inner 

 web and the tip of the outermost ; a distinct line of white over and 

 under the eye, with a small patch of blackish feathers in front of the 

 latter ; ear-coverts brown, blackish on upper margin ; cheeks white, 

 washed with pale brown on hinder margin, and spotted with black, a 

 narrow line of which runs from the gape to the ear-coverts ; throat 

 pure white, with a few black spots on lower portion ; rest of under 

 surface of body sandy rufous, paler and more fulvous on the lower 

 abdomen, the fore neck and chest rather largely spotted with trian- 

 gular spots of blackish brown ; under wing-coverts sandy bnff, the 

 lower series inclining to ashy, and resembling the inner lining of the 

 wing. Total length 47 inches, culmen 0-5, wing 3 - 0, tail 175, 

 tarsus 075. 



Eight specimens of this pretty little Lark are before me, as enu- 

 merated below ; and I appear to have the extremes of summer and 

 winter plumage, with intermediate grades. For the determination of 

 the species I describe one of the typical specimens in my own 

 collection, received in exchange from the Stockholm Museum ; but 

 Mr. Gurney owns an example in still fuller plumage, the specimen 



